Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice – since 2015 a UNESCO Creative City of Music – on 11–23 September 2018 will host the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition.

The event is organised by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice in cooperation with leading Polish musical and cultural institutions (Polish Radio, Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, and Karol Szymanowski Music Society in Zakopane), with the moral and financial support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The organisers hope that this important cultural initiative will help promote Polish music around the world and raise awareness among international audiences of the role of Karol Szymanowski and his works, which are such an important part of Polish cultural heritage.

The competition involves five disciplines: piano, violin, voice, string quartet, and composition and will be held in a five-year cycle, with the first edition scheduled for 11–23 September 2018.

The first and second stage of the competition will take place simultaneously in the seat of Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra in Katowice and at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. The pool of prizes in all five disciplines is going to be 287 000 €. Apart from the main prizes (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd prize in each discipline), special prizes for the best performance of a work by Szymanowski will be awarded in all the disciplines other than composition, and in the disciplines of violin and voice additionally a prize for the best chamber pianist.

The competition final, where the soloists will be accompanied by the NOSPR orchestra, and a gala event will be staged in the NOSPR concert hall. The tickets are already available at the NOSPR ticket office and in the online sales system at the NOSPR website.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.